Car roof



My 23? E935. w. D. THOMPSON CAR ROOF Filed Jan. 23, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Quy 213, w35. w. D. THOMPSON CAR ROOF Filed Jan. 23, 1955 3Sheets-Sheet 2 WE'ZZ, QW? I 7'7Lam/v son uy 23, 935. W, D; THQMPSON2,009,034

CAR ROOF Filed Jan. 25, 19353 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 llt . mfr" e i WWW//Mw vv gmc/ww Elm 74/2JJZ627727. fin/:7:2507:

Patented July 23, 1935 einer PATENT? orties aooacai CAR ROOF l WilliamDQ Thompson, DctroiunMich., assigner to Hutchins Car Roofing Company,yDetroit, Mich.,

Y a corporationof Delaware K Y Appiieation January, 23, issasenslno.653.205

' ionims. (onlosfn The invention relates to car roofs and moreparticularly toconstructions applicable to cars of the gondola type. Itis the. primary object of the invention toV obtain a construction whichis thoroughly weatherproof and of adurable nature while at the same timeproviding for easy access toi the interiori to facilitate 'loading andunloading The invention therefore consists in the construction ashereinafter vsetfforth.` I

In the drawings:

l. is arplan view of a portion-of the gondola car to which my improvedroof is applied;

Fig. 2 is a crosssection thereof; L Fig. 3 is an end elevation; f v

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged sections on lines iando-5 of Fig. l; i Fig. 6is a transverse section on line -S of Fig. .1; f f

Fig. 'lV is an'enlarged section on line 1 1 of 1Eig. l;

Fig. 8 is asection on line 8 8 of Fig. l;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9 9 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 10 is a section similar to Fig. 2 showing a modied construction. Y

Metallic cars of the gondola type as generally constructed are providedwith horizontally extending reinforcing angle bars A at the top of thesides and the ends of the car. The roof frame is rigidly secured tothese anglev bars and comprises end members B secured to the end anglesA by boltsC and tapering downwardfrom the center to the eavescorresponding to the pitch of the roof. At the center and extendinglongitudinally of the car is'a ridge pole D which is Vsecured L byboltsE passing through both the ends vof the d are purlines extendinglongitudinally of the car betweenV adjacent carlines and bolted thereto.The angles A at the sides of the car are also provided with woodenstrips G extending between adjacent carlines and secured to said angleby bolts H. These strips have their upper faces at an anglecorresponding to the pitchof the roof and together with the purlines andridge pole form a support for the roong sheets I.

The roofing sheets I are of the usual pan shape with continuouslyextending up-turned flanges at their sides and across the ridge end,while at the eaves end they are provided with downturned return bentflanges J cooperating with flashings K which latter are secured betweenthe strips G and angle bars A. The sheets I are held down on theroofframe by transverse caps L embracing the carlines, ridge caps M andjunction caps N as usual in roofs Voi' the iiexible type, while saddlesO secured tothe junction caps support running "boards P extending fromend to end of the roof. At the ends of thecars the roofing sheets I areprovid-ed with down-turned flanges zjwhich arev nailed or otherwisesecured to end facia strips Q bolted to the members B.

The roofas thus far described would form a ilexiblestructure providingfor relative movement' of the sheets whichare held down by the caps andwouldl also v be thoroughly weatherproofed. 'InasmuclL however, as itcovers the entire car there would be no provision for loading orunloading. To provide for this a number of the sheets I have hatchopenings therein which are normally closed by hatch covers, theconstruction being as follows:

. R arehatch openings cut incertain of the sheets I and S arere-inforcing channel bars which are above and riveted to the edgeportions ofthe sheet adjacent to the openings R and sur- 'rounding saidopenings. To insure a Weatherproof joint around the hatch openingsflanges R are" turned up from the sheets I on the inner sides of thereinforcing bars S. T arehatch covers extending over and beyond the barsS being provided withy downturned flanges T at their outer edges. These.covers are also pref- 'erablyreinforced'by ribs'T2 arranged on 'theinside thereof and riveted to the cover, said ribs extendingtransversely of the car within the hatch opening. s l To facilitateopening and closing of the hatch covers they are hinged to the roofalong the upper `edges adjacent to the ridge of the roof. This hinge asshown in Fig.- 9 is formed by a plate- Uwhich extends between the saddleOy and the running boards P, being secured by bolts P. At the ends ofthe saddle the plate U is turned downward, terminating in an eye U whichreceives a shaft V, preferably of tubular form. Intermediate the saddlesand the eyes U the tubu- Vlar shaft V is engaged by eyes W which areformed on plates W riveted or otherwise secured to the upper ends of thehatch cover T. At the lower or eaves end of the hatch cover T there isarranged above the angle bar A a rock shaft X which is secured by eyesX' attached to the bolts L' which secure the transverse caps L to theangle bar A. The rock shaft X has Welded or otherwise secured theretofingers X2 which extend over the lower edge portion ofthe hatch coversand press down thereupon to hold said covers in position. At one end ofthe rock shaft X is an operating crank handle X3 which normally extendsupward over one of the transverse caps L and is held down by a U-shapedclip Y attached to the cap and the carline by a bolt Y'. The clip Y hasits sides apertured for the passage of a locking pin which normallyextends over the crank handle X3 and holds the same in a position wherethe fingers X2 bear downward on the hatch covers. The hatch covers arepreferably provided with a bale handle Z near the eaves end thereof bymeans of which they may be lifted upward and turned upon the hinge rodV.

With the construction as described when the car is to be loaded the pinsY2 are removed from the clips Y and the crank handles X3 turned outwardto withdraw the fingers X2 from the hatch covers T. These covers maythen be lifted by the handle Z and thrown upward over the ridge of theroof exposing the hatch opening through which the loading or unloadingmay be effected. As soon as this is completed, the hatch covers areagain turned down and locked in position by turning back the crankhandle X3 and locking it by the pin Y2.

In place of supporting the hinge rod V as above described it may beattached directly to the saddles O as shown in Fig. 10. In thisconstruction the vertical side fianges of the saddles are perforated forthe passage of the shaft V and cotter pins V2 are arranged on oppositesides of the saddles to hold the shaft from longitudinal displacement.The construction is otherwise as previously described.

What I claim as my invention is:

i 1. In a car roof the combination with a series of roofing sheetsextending from ridge to eaves, weatherproong means for said sheetsincluding transverse caps, ridge caps and junction caps, saddlessupported upon said junction caps and running boards supported on saidsaddles, of a hatch cover for closing a hatch opening in one of saidsheets and extending from adjacent to one side of the running boar-d toadjacent to the eaves, a rod extending between and secured to a pair ofsaddles, hinge eyes for said cover engaging said rod and means adjacentto the eaves for clamping down the eaves end of said cover.

2. In a car roof the combination with a series of roofing sheets,weatherproofing means for the adjacent edges of said sheets includingtransverse caps, ridge caps and junction caps, saddles mounted on saidjunction caps, running boards supported by said saddles, a rod extendingbetween a pair of saddles and attached thereto for clamping down theeaves and a hatch cover for closing a hatch opening in one of saidsheets hinged to said rod, a rock shaft extending between and mountedupon a pair of said transverse caps atthe eaves end thereof, fingers onsaid rock shaft for engaging and clamping down the eaves end of saidhatch cover, a crank handle for actuatingv said rock shaft and extendingupward above one of sai-d transverse caps and means for locking sai-dcrank handle to said cap to hold said hatch cover clamped.

3. A car roof for gondola cars having angle bar reinforcements for theupper edges of their sides and ends comprising carlines extending acrosssaid car and secured at their opposite ends to said angle barreinforcements, a series of roofing sheets arranged between adjacentcarlines and exten-ding from ridge to eaves, Weatherproong means forsaid sheets comprising transverse caps embracing said carlines and theadjacent edges of the sheets on opposite sides thereof, ridge caps andjunction caps, saddles mounted on said junction caps, running boardsmounted on said saddles, a rod extending between and secured to a pairof said saddles, a hatch cover for closing a hatch opening in one of'said sheets hinged to said rod, a rock shaft extending between adjacenttransverse caps at the ridge end thereof and mounted on the means forsecuring said caps and carlines to said angle bars, fingers extendingfrom said rock shaft to clamp down the eaves end of said hatch cover, acrank arm for said rock shaft extending over one of said transverse capsan-d a clip mounted on said cap for engaging said crank handle tonormally hold the same in a position for clamping down said hatch cover.Y

4. In a car roof the combination with a pair of carlines, of a roofingsheet extending between said carlines and from the ridge to eaves, saidsheet being provided with a hatch opening therein, reinforcing barsattached to the upper side of said sheet and surrounding said hatchopening, a hatch cover for embracing said reinforcing bars and closingthe hatch opening, weatherproong means for the edges of said sheetincluding transverse caps for embracing the carlines, a ridge cap andjunction cap, saddles mounted on said junction caps, running boardsmounted on said saddles, a rod extending between said sad-dies, eyes forengaging said rod having shank portions clamped between said runningboards and saddles, hinge eyes on said hatch cover for pivotallyengaging said rod, a rock shaft extending between transverse caps in theeaves end thereof, securing bolts for holding said transverse caps downupon said carlines, eyes in which said rock shaft is journaled attachedto said securing bolts, one or more ngers on said rock shaft forengaging an-d clamping down the eaves 6nd of sai-d hatch cover, a crankarm on said rock shaft extending over one of said transverse caps and aclip for detachably holding said crank arm upon said transverse cap.

WILLIAM D. THOMPSON.

